Krist Novoselic is rarely the first name that pops up when people talk about "bass gods." Usually, that conversation is hogged by Flea or Les Claypool. But if you sit down with a Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab, you quickly realize the dude was a secret weapon.
Most people know the song from the iconic MTV Unplugged in New York performance. It was November 18, 1993. Kurt Cobain was famously nervous. The stage was covered in stargazer lilies and black candles. It felt like a funeral before anyone actually died. While Kurt’s haunting vocal and that fuzz-drenched acoustic guitar lead get all the glory, the glue holding that entire Bowie cover together is Krist’s walking bass line. It’s melodic. It’s fluid. Honestly, it’s probably the most sophisticated thing he ever played.
Breaking Down the Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World Bass Tab
If you’re looking at a tab for this song, you’ll notice it’s in standard tuning (E A D G). That’s actually a bit of a relief because Nirvana loved tuning down a half-step to E-flat. For this one, you stay right in the pocket.
The main riff is a masterpiece of simplicity. It starts on the A string, hitting that open note and then climbing.
The verse isn't just root notes. Krist doesn't just sit on the D and the A. He moves. He creates a counter-melody that responds to Kurt’s vocal. When Kurt sings "I searched for form and land," Krist is doing these little chromatic climbs that make the song feel much more "expensive" than your average three-chord grunge anthem.
The Verse Structure
In the verse, the bass follows a pattern that basically revolves around D minor and F major. But here’s the trick: Krist plays it with a very soft touch. If you dig in too hard with a pick, you lose the "Unplugged" vibe. He used his signature Gibson Ripper bass for a lot of his career, which has a massive, woody tone. On the Unplugged set, he used a Guild acoustic bass—a notoriously difficult instrument to make sound good because the bodies are so feedback-prone.
He pulls it off by focusing on the sustain. When you're reading the Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab, pay attention to the ties. Don't cut the notes short. Let them bleed into each other. It creates that "ghostly" atmosphere David Bowie originally intended back in 1970, but with a Pacific Northwest weight.
📖 Related: Who is Really in the Enola Holmes 2 Cast? A Look at the Faces Behind the Mystery
Why This Bass Line is Trickier Than It Looks
Beginners often think "Oh, it's Nirvana, it must be easy." Wrong.
While "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a workout for your picking hand, "The Man Who Sold The World" is a workout for your fretboard knowledge. There are these little melodic fills during the chorus where the bass mirrors the guitar melody.
Most tabs will show you a sequence on the D and G strings:
- Slide from the 5th to the 7th fret.
- A quick hammer-on.
- A pull-off back to the open string or the lower octave.
It's about finesse.
Tony Visconti, who produced the original Bowie version, actually played the bass on the 1970 record. Visconti’s version was very "busy"—almost lead bass. When Krist approached it for the Unplugged session, he simplified the busyness but kept the "movement." He turned it into something that felt like a heartbeat. If you listen to the isolated bass track, you can hear how he’s slightly behind the beat. It gives the song that lazy, dragging feel that defines the "grunge" aesthetic.
Gear and Tone: Getting the Nirvana Sound
You can’t just grab a Squier P-Bass and expect to sound like Krist on this track without some tweaking.
👉 See also: Priyanka Chopra Latest Movies: Why Her 2026 Slate Is Riskier Than You Think
Krist’s tone was mid-heavy. He liked the "clack." Even on an acoustic bass, you can hear the strings hitting the frets. To emulate this on an electric bass:
- Roll your tone knob to about 60%.
- Boost the low-mids on your amp.
- Use a thick pick (Krist used Dunlop Tortex .60mm or .73mm—the orange or yellow ones).
- Play near the neck, not the bridge.
The Guild B-50 acoustic bass he used for the show is a beast of an instrument. It’s huge. If you’re a smaller person, it’s like trying to play a wardrobe. But that size gave him a natural compression. If you're using a Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab to practice at home on an electric, maybe throw a light compressor pedal at the start of your chain. It helps those high-register notes in the chorus pop without losing the low-end thump of the verses.
Common Mistakes in Most Tabs
Let’s be real: a lot of free tabs on the internet are garbage. They’re written by ear by people who might not have the best monitors.
One major error in many versions of the Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab is the bridge transition. People often miss the subtle shift Krist makes from the C major back into the D minor. He does a quick walk-down: C, B, Bb, A. It’s fast. If you miss those passing tones, the song sounds "blocky."
Another thing? The ending. The song ends on a long, sustained note that fades into the feedback of Kurt’s guitar. Many tabs just stop. But if you’re playing this live, you need to hold that D and let it vibrate. Krist actually lets the open D string ring out while he adjusts his tuning or moves his hand—it keeps the "hum" of the room alive.
The Legacy of the Unplugged Performance
It’s wild to think this song is now more associated with Nirvana than David Bowie for an entire generation. Bowie himself famously said he’d encounter kids after his shows who would say, "It’s cool that you’re doing a Nirvana song." He was annoyed at first, but later grew to appreciate how they breathed new life into it.
✨ Don't miss: Why This Is How We Roll FGL Is Still The Song That Defines Modern Country
The bass line is a huge part of why that cover worked. It bridged the gap between 70s glam rock and 90s cynical realism.
When you're practicing with your Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab, remember that you aren't just playing notes. You're playing a mood. This isn't a song to play while you're jumping around. It’s a song for staring at the floor. It’s heavy, not because of distortion, but because of the space between the notes.
Actionable Steps for Mastering the Track
- Slow it down: Use a tool like YouTube’s playback speed or Amazing Slow Downer. The tempo is roughly 116 BPM, but it swings. Get the rhythm of the main riff perfect at 80 BPM first.
- Focus on the "Slide": The slide from the 5th to the 7th fret on the G string is the "hook" of the bass line. If you don't hit that with confidence, the song loses its identity.
- Watch the Live Video: Don't just read the tab. Watch Krist’s hands in the MTV Unplugged video. Notice how high he keeps his elbow and how he uses his wrist to generate power on the acoustic strings.
- Check Your Intonation: Because the song uses a lot of the neck—from the open strings up to the 12th fret—make sure your bass is intonated. If your 12th fret is sharp, those chorus melodies will sound sour against Kurt’s guitar.
- Record Yourself: Play along to the Unplugged track and record it on your phone. Listen back. Are you rushing the verses? Krist stays very "back" in the chair. Try to match his "laziness."
Mastering the Nirvana The Man Who Sold The World bass tab is a rite of passage for any bassist who wants to understand how to play "melodic" without being "flashy." It’s a lesson in restraint. Once you get that main riff under your fingers, you'll start to hear Krist’s influence in a lot of other 90s alternative music. He wasn't just the tall guy standing next to Kurt; he was the heartbeat of the band.
Once you feel comfortable with the standard version, try playing it along to the original Bowie recording from The Man Who Sold the World album. You'll notice how much "dirtier" and more psychedelic it is. Comparing the two will give you a much better grasp of how Krist adapted the part to fit the Nirvana "bleak" aesthetic.
Final tip: keep your strings relatively fresh. Even though it's an "old" sounding song, the bass needs that metallic "snap" to cut through the cello and the acoustic guitars. If your strings are six months old and dead, the riff will just sound like mud.